


After the pain comes the healing

by Katherine737



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25032370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine737/pseuds/Katherine737
Summary: After weeks of watching Helena get comfortable with every team member but her, it was Myka that Helena looked to for help when everything got a little too much.And a woman of Helena’s past showing up because she needed help in retrieving her maybe dead but hopefully still alive daughter? You didn’t have to be Myka to see the emotional rollercoaster in that.
Relationships: Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	After the pain comes the healing

**Author's Note:**

> In my mind, the Warehouse and the Sanctuary have history, as do Helen and Helena, but no one has more unspoken history between them than Myka and Helena. This is a way to give words to some of their history, and observe them on their way to a different future. It’s a story about healing, which happens slowly, or sometimes, when we’re ready, all at once.  
> Which is why you don't need to have any knowlegde of the tv show Sanctuary (at least I hope) and why I haven't tagged their characters.
> 
> This takes place some time after Instinct, but before the season that never was for Warehouse 13, and in the beginning of season 2 for Sanctuary.

“Ehm, not to create a panic or anything, but there’s someone coming up the road.”  
  
Myka looked up from her spreadsheet to see Steve shift his weight from left to right and back, as he was standing in front of Artie’s desk.  
  
“What?”  
  
Artie was gruff, as usual, before he shrugged.  
  
“Probably a regent. They should announce themselves beforehand, but what can you do.”  
  
“On a motorcycle?”  
  
Now he tensed.  
  
“What?”  
  
There was a tinge of panic in his voice that made Myka put down her spreadsheet and follow the two of them to the camera at the door. Sure enough, a motorcycle was approaching. It stopped between the rental that she shared with Pete and Steve’s car, raising dust.  
  
The person, a woman, since her leather jacket revealed that all too well, took of her helmet to reveal long dark hair, light skin, big eyes, and pleasing similar features.  
  
Artie cursed under his breath.  
  
“Hey-ho!” came from behind them but all three of them ignored Pete describing where he and Trailer just put the latest artifact.  
  
The woman approached the door without hesitation, knowing exactly where it was placed. Abigail had been with them for months now and she still sometimes used the trick of putting her hand to the wall to discover the door by feeling the different grooves. She leaned into the camera, bright blue eyes sparkling.  
  
“Arthur! Do let me in, if you would be so kind.”  
  
The fine hairs on Myka’s arms stood up at the sound of the British accent, this particular accent of the upper class, upholding long gone British English.  
  
She looked to Artie who… stood there doing nothing. Steve shared her look of confusion.  
  
The woman cleared her throat before shoving a piece of paper into the camera frame. It was barely legible but definitely Artie’s crawling script.  
  
“I, Arthur Nielson of Warehouse 13, hereby grant Dr. Magnus a favor for..”  
  
The rest was even less legible. Contrary to Artie’s face which was livid.  
  
“Magnus!”  
  
It sounded like a curse.  
  
He whirled around to Myka.  
  
“Where’s HG?”  
  
She frowned, shared a confused look with Steve and Pete before answering.  
  
“On that mission to Texas with Claudia?”  
  
He knew that. All of them knew that.  
  
“When are they supposed to return?”  
  
But before any of them could answer that he shook his head and addressed Steve:  
  
“Write Claudia. Tell them not to come back until after we’ve given her the clear. Stress that we don’t need help and that they are not allowed back.”  
  
Myka opened her mouth to protest. This obvious distrust of Helena had to stop. He had been getting better, but…  
  
Artie held up a hand in her direction before she could start.  
  
“Not now.”  
  
Then he activated the buzzer. They watched Dr. Magnus? stride past the bombs without a care in the world, Artie never taking her eyes off of her. When she came into the room, she didn’t seem at all perturbed by having all of their eyes on her. Instead she focused on Artie.  
  
“Arthur, good to see you. My, you’ve aged!”  
  
If anything his face grew darker.  
  
“Can’t say the same. What do you want, Magnus?”  
  
She held up the note, so that the rest of the message was visible. Artie snatched it away from her, handing it over to Myka.  
  
“I know what that says. It was extorted.”  
  
Myka read the rest of the message.  
  
“I, Arthur Nielson of Warehouse 13, hereby grant Dr. Magnus a favor for helping the Warehouse when it was in great need. The favor can neither endanger the populace at large or a single person, except for Dr. Magnus herself should she choose to accept certain risks. She cannot take an artifact from the Warehouse, but should that be postulated, an Agent shall accompany her, to ensure the artifact’s integrity and its safe return to the Warehouse. A. Nielson.”  
  
Even if the content had obviously been dictated to him, it was his script and his signature at the end. It only seemed… old, the paper thin, the script sheer, like a cash slip after several years.  
  
“We both know it wasn’t extorted, Arthur. Let’s not quarrel about inconsequential bygones.”  
  
He glared silently. All of them waited with bated breath.  
  
Dr. Magnus lost her patience first.  
  
“I’d like to take a look at the H.G. Wells’s records, from work she did for the Warehouse, specifically pertaining to the theories on the soul aspect of the time machine.”  
  
Myka’s mouth dropped open and she heard Pete take in a breath. Only Artie’s poker face held true.  
  
“No.”  
  
Dr. Magnus frowned.  
  
“No, you don’t have them? Or, no, I don’t get to see them? Because considering the blank favor I have here, looking at specs is…” she shrugged for effect “very little.”  
  
The vein in Artie’s forehead throbbed.  
  
“No,” he repeated simply.  
  
Dr. Magnus put a hand on her hip.  
  
“Artie, I know that the Warehouse didn’t just take a brilliant young woman but hoarded her manuscripts, most of her diaries, her ideas and actual inventions. All I’m asking to see are theoreticals specs for a machine that doesn’t work.”  
  
Myka could see in Artie’s face that he was beaten. Whatever that favor was it was probably big. He turned around.  
  
“Pete, you’ll,” he stopped short at seeing Pete fighting with Trailer for a donut he got from who knew where. Artie sighed.  
  
“Myka.”  
  
Her name sounded like another sigh but when nothing else came, she tilted her head.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“You know where the records this woman is talking of are.”  
  
It wasn’t a question but she nodded anyway, if slowly. “Of course.”  
  
He knew that she knew that. Everyone here knew where to find Helena’s special aisle. She had been spending her free time tinkering there since she’d been back. More often than not accompanied by Abigail who wasn’t sharing what they were doing or talking about, not even with Artie. Myka had heard him yelling about it. Even then Abigail had stayed steadfast, lightly said the words “Doctor patient privilege” and had gone on to order them some food that Artie wasn’t fond of but Helena liked.  
  
“She” he bit out the word with venom, pointing a finger superfluously, “will not be touching anything. You” he looked around, addressing Pete and Steve as well, “will not be answering any questions. In fact, none of us will be talking to her at all.”  
  
“Thank you Arthur, for making me feel special.”  
  
Dr. Magnus smiled, but there was an edge to it, before she started moving. “I’ll take it, it’s this way.”  
  
Myka threw a questioning look at Artie, who became red in the face.  
  
“Go, follow, monitor, go, go, go!”  
  
Dr. Magnus was waiting for Myka just outside the office.  
  
“He’s grown grim over the years, hasn’t he?”  
  
Myka only gave a helpless shrug. She was curious, very curious, but she wouldn’t break Artie’s not talking order immediately after getting it. At least not while still in hearing distance. A year ago, two years ago, she wouldn’t have broken it at all, but there was something here. Maybe it was the accent, maybe the sheer hatred Artie directed at the woman, that reminded Myka of… that made Myka protective, made her feel like she had to defend the woman, or at least find out for herself what was so bad about her.  
  
“So, we’re not talking? From what I remember these walks can get long.”  
  
Myka liked the verbal confirmation that it wasn’t this woman’s first time in the Warehouse, even if she had suspected that. There was no wonder in her eyes, no appreciation of the sheer vastness around them. She seemed like this was business as usual.  
  
They were far enough now. So Myka shrugged.  
  
“This walk won’t be that long.”  
  
Barely fifteen minutes. Last week Helena had called Myka in a panic, accusing Artie of hiding away all of her scrips and specs and knots and bolts and Myka had almost went to him in a righteous fury, when Claudia had commented on the changes in the Warehouse, and directed them to a new aisle.  
  
The Warehouse had shifted to meet demands, as it always did. The H.G. Wells aisle had moved closer to the office, taking the Tesla aisle from the very back and putting it right next to it. Of course, Artie had been furious when he’d found out, but he hadn’t moved anything. Even he had to accept that the Warehouse did things in its own way.  
  
Myka had revelled in the fact that Helena had called her for help, even when afterwards everything went back to the politeness Helena now wore like a shield.  
  
“I’m Helen, but you can call me Magnus.”  
  
Dr. Magnus was fishing and not even trying to be subtle. Myka smiled.  
  
“Myka.”  
  
She wasn’t going to give her full name, Agent status or anything, but as Artie had already called her by her name that shouldn't hurt. Hopefully.  
  
“Is there a specific reason Arthur dislikes the H.G. aisle or is it just me?”  
  
So she noticed that.  
  
Myka wanted to turn around, direct a dark look to the office, but… she couldn’t. It would give this woman something to use, even as it was just an ongoing annoyance, but it would give something away. So she simply shrugged.  
  
“A little bit of both, I’d say.”  
  
If she kept the woman talking, she might say, what she really wanted, what she wanted to use these specs for if she was certain that the machine didn’t work.  
  
Dr. Magnus, Magnus, smiled like she knew exactly what Myka was doing. Maybe she did. She certainly seemed intelligent and she walked with purpose, like the world belonged to her. Maybe it was this that rubbed Artie the wrong way.  
  
Myke suppressed a sigh.  
  
She suppressed another sigh when they reached the aisle. It was absolute chaos. The Pete cave looked tidy in comparison, which was saying something. Magnus stopped short before gingerly stepping over some papers on the ground. She frowned at a half finished project of a dismantled something. Myka couldn’t even guess at what it had been.  
  
“I didn’t know the Warehouse tried to replicate the genius of a person in addition to keeping their things?”  
  
Myka just shrugged.  
  
“We rarely know why the Warehouse does what it does.”  
  
It was true, but it still felt both like saying too much and denying what she saw in front of her. Helena had truly taken over this aisle.  
  
And there were signs that it was recent. One could potentially overlook the empty mugs as some quirk of the Warehouse, but the disassembled tablet, the iPhone that was connected to an abundance of wires spoke another language.  
  
Some part of Myka was disappointed when Magnus didn’t immediately see it. Maybe her eyes only seemed intelligent.  
  
She followed as Magnus made her way to the very back, picking up and dismissing papers and squinting at but not touching objects. Myka thought about reprimanding her. Papers could be dangerous as well, but the contamination station was right next to them, so she stayed silent, deeming it not worth the bother.  
  
After dismissing another document Magnus finally seemed suspicious. She continued her search but every now and then she threw glances Myka’s way, as if she was looking for an explanation. Finally Myka took pity on her.  
  
“Part of the mess is probably our resident Warehouse genius. She likes working with H.G. and Tesla specs.”  
  
There was no need to say that Claudia had her own workstation, not too far away from here.  
  
Magnus nodded, but the suspicion in her eyes didn’t disappear, it only lessened a smidge.  
  
Myka understood it. Helena’s writing might be different from before, paper wasn’t as valuable, ballpoint pens something different than ink, and yet… Some of the papers were clearly written by the same person. Maybe Magnus had seen that, maybe not. Myka might be curious enough to be talking, but not stupid. Talking about Helena was out.  
  
Even when Magnus’s knowledge of Helena and her inventions remained suspicious.  
  
Magnus discarded another paper, her mouth forming a thin line.  
  
“Can I help?”  
  
She blinked up at Myka, surprised.  
  
“I thought you were only to monitor and not talk to me?”  
  
Myka shook her head.  
  
“Don’t remind me.”  
  
She stepped gingerly into the place herself, went to the back and pulled out a couple of sheets.  
  
“Time machine specs.”  
  
Magnus raised an eyebrow but came to her side, taking them.  
  
“This might take a while,” she warned, but Myka only shrugged. This was nothing new here.  
  
She went back to the entrance, found Claudia’s concoction and made herself a tea, offering one to Magnus as well, who seemed deeply immersed in her reading now, having made herself comfortable in between the mess of papers on the ground. Despite that she nodded.  
  
“Not bad for American tea,” was her only comment before pulling out her own notebook and putting down formulas that went over Myka’s head. Something with velocity and magnetic force and…  
  
“None of that explains how she captured the soul.”  
  
Myka shrugged.  
  
“I only know that some of it was inspired by the Gestalt theory, and that it works, but beyond that...”  
  
She trailed off as she realized her mistake, but it was too late. She had Magnus’s entire attention now.  
  
“It doesn’t work, it never worked.”  
  
This was probably a conversation that fell under Artie’s do-not-talk-order, but again, something in Magnus’s eyes, something desperate, invoked the wish to help.  
  
“It does. It did, at least.”  
  
“No,” Magnus insisted, “it really didn’t.”  
  
Far from divulging that she actually used it herself, Myka used another avenue.  
  
“How do you know?”  
  
Magnus swallowed, seemed to contemplate her answer. She swallowed again, desperately trying to contain the spark of hope in her eyes.  
  
“H.G. wrote a diary. She clearly recorded that it failed.”  
  
Yes. She would have.  
  
Myka put her tea on a shelf, next to an empty mug, before crouching down in front of Magnus.  
  
“It does what it was supposed to do. It transports someone to the past for almost a day. But it doesn’t allow you to change the past. In using it, you only do what has already happened without actually changing anything.”  
  
It sounded weird to her own ears, but Magnus followed every word until she nodded. Myka watched the spark of hope dying before it was fully ignited, but there were still embers glowing.  
  
“I still need to know how she captured the soul.”  
  
“What for?”  
  
Magnus threw a look in her general direction before turning back to the script in her hands.  
  
“We… There was an incident. A person disintegrated into an energy shield. We’ve kept it up, they should still be there, we only need to find a way to…”  
  
Myka knew she was in over her head, but she also knew who might have an answer. So she held up a hand and pulled out her farnsworth. She walked a few paces away, keeping her back straight.  
  
Artie answered immediately.  
  
“Everything okay there?”  
  
“She says a person disintegrated into an energy shield and HG’s specs could be used to retrieved said person.”  
  
Artie huffed.  
  
“No.”  
  
Myka walked further away, hopefully out of hearing range.  
  
“Artie, don’t you think…”  
  
“No,” he interrupted her. “No, no, and no. This is a bad idea.”  
  
“If it could save a human being? I don’t see what the problem is.”  
  
“She is dangerous. Much more dangerous than… But put together? No.”  
  
“I’d monitor. We could all go, take Abigail, whatever you want.”  
  
His responding sigh told her that she had already won. His remonstration was to assuage his own conscience. If anything did go wrong, he never wanted them to go in the first place.  
  
She heard the pressure of the front door opening.  
  
“Artie! Everyone okay?!”  
  
Claudia sounded panicked. Apparently, Steve was bad at communicating via text message.  
  
“What are you...?” he breathed before exploding, “I told you to stay away!”  
  
“Technically you had Steve deliver the message,” Helena reminded him. She sounded far too chipper, which had been her way of dealing with Artie in the past weeks.  
  
Myka frowned.  
  
“Artie?”  
  
“Yes, yes. I don’t care. I’ll send them over. I just…” he sighed again. “Have an eye on her?”  
  
“Artie, we don’t need to watch Helena anymore, that’s…”  
  
“No, Myka”, he turned away from the phone, Myka heard him send Helena and Claudia her way with barely an explanation, before he came back. “Watch out for her?”  
  
Dumbfounded, Myka agreed and he hung up.  
  
When she turned back to Magnus, she was watching her intently.  
  
Myka took a deep breath, trying to find the words that H.G. Wells herself would be helping, when Magnus held up a notebook for Myka to see.  
  
“Helena is here?”  
  
She sounded… broken.  
  
Myka just nodded. She watched Magnus get up, straighten her shirt, her entire body tense as she waited. Her demeanor forbade Myka to ask questions. Which she wanted to do. She also, inexplicably, felt the urge to warn Helena. Which was stupid.  
  
Magnus was in her mid forties, if that.  
  
However she found out about Helena, the familiarity in her voice had to come from reading her diaries one too many times. Myka couldn’t blame her, she had fallen in awe of authors many times, especially when reading diaries.  
  
She heard Helena and Claudia discussing the artifact they had snagged, Claudia intent on her own heroism, Helena indulging her. When they rounded the corner Myka saw the smile she heard freeze. It would be comical, the way Helena stopped in midstep, teetering back, if it weren’t for the horrified expression on her face.  
  
“Helen?”  
  
Magnus nodded once, her face expressionless.  
  
“H.G.”  
  
Helena flinched.  
  
Claudia, who had also followed this exchange with confusion, now took a step in front of Helena.  
  
“What’s going on?”  
  
She was looking at Myka for an answer, before glaring at Magnus. Helena released a breath, before putting a hand on Claudia’s shoulder.  
  
“It’s alright, Claude.”  
  
With that she stepped around the younger woman.  
  
“What is going on?”  
  
She looked at Myka for an answer, which was just as well, because Magnus kept silent. So Myka carefully began.  
  
“Dr. Magnus asked the Warehouse for help.”  
  
Helena nodded, her gaze searching Magnus, before encouraging Myka to go on with a nod.  
  
“Apparently, a person disintegrated into a protective shield and she wanted H.G. Wells specs on the time machine to find a way to get them back.”  
  
Helena took a step forward, suddenly confrontational.  
  
“Druitt? You’re trying to get Druitt back?”  
  
Magnus shook her head.  
  
“It isn’t him. He’s…” she took a breath. “It’s not him.”  
  
Helena frowned. “Then who? Nikola? I can’t see him going into the grid like that unless he’s developed new skills that…”  
  
Again Magnus shook her head, but she didn’t meet Helena’s gaze.  
  
“You don’t know her.”  
  
Helena took her in, analyzing everything about her in a way that made Myka proud. Even though it usually made her restless when Helena focused that intensity on her.  
  
“Who, Helen?”  
  
Myka met Claudia’s helpless gaze. Something was going on that neither of them could understand.  
  
“Ashley, her name is Ashley.”  
  
Magnus voice was low, almost apologetic. She shook her head a third time.  
  
“I don’t… You don’t need to know the details. Just, would you help?”  
  
Would not could, Myka wasn’t sure, how all of this… Helena crossed her arms, rubbed one shoulder.  
  
“I could try. It’s… probably not going to work.”  
  
Magnus nodded, as if she expected that.  
  
“I need to try.”  
  
Helena’s eyes flickered away from Magnus. There was something helpless as she looked at Myka who felt the need to reassure her.  
  
“I’ll come with you. Claudia as well. Artie’s said the Warehouse can try to help.”  
  
So Helena nodded.  
  
“We’ll try, Helen.”

### 

Half an hour later they were on the road, two hours later on the plane.  
  
Fortunately, Myka had had her emergency travel bag in the office, Claudia and Helena had returned straight to the Warehouse and simply took their old bags. In the car (Pete was thrilled to return the motorcycle to its rental agency) Magnus had developed theories to try out with Helena, occasionally phoning one of her team members for specifics, but Helena had booked their flight tickets, seating Claudia next to Magnus in the back, herself next to Myka in the front of the plane. She’d told the others that nothing had been available for four people to sit together but Myka had been with her during the booking. She’d distanced herself from Magnus on purpose.  
  
As soon as the safety lights were off, Helena unbuckled herself, took off her shoes and put her feet up, rested her arms and head on her knees.  
  
Myka was confused, between a great many other things.  
  
Most important was the sympathy she felt watching Helena pull herself together.  
  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
  
Helena shook her head so quickly Myka was concerned she might pull a muscle. So she nodded, gave Helena what she hoped was an encouraging smile and opened her kindle app on her phone.  
  
Not even four pages later Helena spoke up.  
  
“Maybe, I do need to talk.”  
  
She looked trapped, her eyes never settling on any one object, let alone meeting Myka’s.  
  
“You don’t have to, you know?”  
  
Myka knew that Abigail was making Helena talk about and look at some difficult issues, but that was not Myka. And Helena had declared herself ready to work with Abigail, even if it was clearly difficult, even if she sometimes escaped from Abigail only to go looking for her the next day.  
  
Helena nodded.  
  
“I know.” She shrugged. “But it might help? If you’d…” she swallowed, “be okay with that?”  
  
“I offered,” Myka reminded her which seemed to loosen some of Helena’s tension.  
  
“That you did.”  
  
Finally Helena met her gaze with a smile. It was shaky and barely there but it was a smile. It soothed something deep inside of Myka, the first real connection between them after weeks of politeness.  
  
Tentatively Myka turned her hand on the fixture between them and opened her fingers. Helena looked at it as if it was something entirely foreign. For all Myka knew it might be.  
  
Living with Pete and Claudia and sometimes even Steve had changed Myka. Physical contact came so much easier to her. Feeling the need for it had become easy. And even if offering it to Helena felt like reaching out over an open flame, the gesture itself felt natural.  
  
Helena’s eyes flickered all over her face, before she unfastened her hands from her knees and put one into Myka’s. She put her feet on the ground again, leaned her head back and closed her eyes, decision made.  
  
“You might not believe me until we’ve reached the Sanctuary but Magnus was born in 1850. She doesn’t age. When we met, she was a doctor. We were both privileged, she was even allowed to lecture every now and then. I was allowed to sit in lectures, despite her not being paid and me not being allowed to attend university. She had a group of friends, they were tight-knit and I didn’t really fit in. I was too young. But they were brilliant and they recognized that I wasn’t too useless. Helen,” here she swallowed, as if the name hurt, “Helen took me in when my parents threw me out. I lived with her for a while, in the first Sanctuary in London, before I got back in my family’s good graces. They didn’t like the pregnancy out of wedlock, but they adored Christina. Christina adored Helen. She loved visiting her and I loved her library, her knowledge. We were friends in a matter, even if she was more knowledgeable and never gave a quarter, rarely talked about herself, which I only recognized after.”  
  
Helena opened her eyes, gave Myka a wry smile.  
  
“You so often only realize the important parts after.”  
  
Myka squeezed her hand, hiding her slight tremor, before nodding for Helena to continue. This was not about her.  
  
Helena did, leaning back again.  
  
“We disagreed about a lot of things later, she was extending the Sanctuary, I was becoming a Warehouse Agent. The Warehouse and the Sanctuary didn’t really get along. But Christina still loved visiting and so we did.”  
  
Now Helena increased the pressure on Myka’s hand.  
  
“When Christina died,” she swallowed but continued, “you know how I...” she searched for a word. Myka almost interrupted, to tell her that it was okay, that she understood, but something stopped her. Somehow she wanted to hear this, a part of her needed to.  
  
“You,” and the word held so much meaning, “know exactly how lost I became, how desperate, how crazy.”  
  
Helena sighed, her chest moved rapidly, but her voice stayed calm.  
  
“I lost myself. First in my theories, my thoughts, my plan for the world, my time in the Warehouse, and when I came back I was told to hide myself. So I did. I found a perfectly ordinary life and became a perfectly ordinary person. And again, you were the one to point out… to find me underneath, no matter how deep I kept myself hidden. So you know.”  
  
Helena opened her eyes again, smiling an unhappy smile.  
  
“I wish I could properly apologize to you. But working with Abigail I learned that I did what I did to survive, to somehow keep myself together. I wish I could’ve done a great many things differently. That doesn’t exactly change them, does it?”  
  
Myka shook her head, stunned.  
  
She’d… almost given up on hearing anything. Helena showing up almost two months ago had made her happy beyond measure, but her avoidance of Myka, going so far as telling Artie that she wasn’t ready to take missions with Myka. Not missions in general, but missions with Myka. It had hurt every single day, had become harder to believe that Helena only needed time, had become difficult to give Helena as much time as she needed.  
  
The politeness had chafed at Myka.  
  
And now? It was almost too much.  
  
“It doesn’t change anything,” Myka agreed. Helena nodded like she expected that. She tried to pull her hand back, but Myka held on.  
  
“It doesn’t change anything in the past, but it helps.”  
  
Now Myka needed to squeeze Helena’s hand to stop her own from trembling.  
  
“It helps for the future.”  
  
Helena’s responding smile was tired, it was worn thin around the edges. It spoke of fear and loss and so much bravery of overcoming all of this. It was real and it lit Myka’s answering smile. Before she remembered.  
  
“What does that have to do with Magnus?”  
  
Helena’s face darkened.  
  
“Magnus had a baby boy when she was young. He died a few weeks after birth.”  
  
Her eyes glazed over, as she lost herself in memories.  
  
“She named him Ashley.”  
  
“You don’t think that baby survived…?”  
  
“No, but I do think she had another child. A girl this time, she called her Ashley, like the boy she lost.”  
  
Myka had a difficult time sorting through the emotions that raised. Helena nodded as if she understood.  
  
“When Christina died,” this time it sounded surer, more accepting, sad, like Helena had finally started to deal with the loss, even if it would probably always be there, “I… went more than a little crazy in the beginning. Helen helped, she got me to pull myself together. She never wanted to, but she gave me the strength to come up with a plan. She was also the one to report me to the Warehouse. I’m responsible for being bronzed, but she put some things into motion.”  
  
Helena swallowed, her voice wavering.  
  
“I just don’t know how to deal with her now. And if she loses her… It’s going to be difficult.”  
  
Myka found a shaky smile from somewhere.  
  
“Maybe your work with Abigail has made you strong enough to face this now.”  
  
Helena let out a relieved breath.  
  
“I want to believe that.”  
  
Myka simply squeezed her hand again.  
  
“I do believe that. And if it becomes too difficult, you have Claudia and me.”  
  
Now she felt Helena tremble through their connected hands, but Myka looked away. She meant it. Helena had her, could have so much more of her, if she wanted.  
  
Myka couldn’t look back, too afraid to see a rejection of all that, of Helena wanting only the friendship she was offering, was still offering, even if she wanted, craved more.  
  
Maybe she should find some time to talk to Abigail as well.  
  
Helena fell asleep soon after that.  
  
She never let go of Myka’s hand.

### 

Myka felt grimy when they got out of the airport. Planes always left her feeling grimy and the emotional roller coaster didn’t help. It was good, of course. Amazing really, to have Helena wake up and give her a small, real smile, instead of the fake, polite big grin she has been wearing around the B&B lately.  
  
Still, Claudia’s silent watchfulness, her searching gaze, was tiring.  
  
Not to mention Magnus’s intensity. She had went quickly to pick up her car, stride determined, believing in the possibility of a chance.  
  
Even if Myka had only heard a polite “Maybe” in Helena’s answer to Magnus. It was more likely that it had actually meant that there was no possibility.  
  
Of course, Myka understood the need to try, she’d want to do the same, wanted the same done for her, but it would be difficult either way.  
  
So she didn’t exactly look forward to it.

It turned out worse.

Meeting people that clearly cared about Magnus and Ashley both, seeing the hope kindled in their eyes, even as they denied the possibility.

Helena and Claudia worked with someone called Henry to get to know the EM shield, while Myka helped Magnus and an unassuming guy called Will set up transporters in an atrium.

Myka had never seen so many weird beings in one place and she worked in the Warehouse. But Magnus taught her to call them abnormals. Myka found that the added strength the being Magnus simply called Big Guy had was quite useful.

After no time at all everything was set up. Everyone had been through the theory at least twice. Even Myka, having had first Claudia and then Helena explain everything to her.

They were relying on the idea that Ashley had somehow turned into energy and had been absorbed into the security grid. (What it protected against, Myka couldn’t be sure as they had been able to enter without noticing anything at all.) By bundling the energy they would be forcing her to come together and take shape in the atrium.

In theory it should work.

Henry kept saying that he’d like a test run, but as there were no other EM shields available, it was more an issue of nervousness. And nervousness was something that was going around.

Helena met Myka’s eyes even as she placed a comforting hand on Magnus’s shoulder while Magnus gave Henry the go ahead. Claudia was so far in his space she was almost sitting next to him on his chair.

Energy began crackling all around them.

“No, slower!”

Claudia called out, but Henry had pushed his chair back. He was looking at his hands, scared, as they grew hair, fingers growing smaller. Myka looked at his face, ears disappearing, mouth elongating, and stared, frozen.

“Dude!”

Claudia pushed his chair away, with so much force it met the wall behind him. She took over the computer, slowing the amount of energy that came at once.

The big guy went and simply set down on the wolf that used to be Henry. To Myka’s surprise the wolf let him, only mewling in protest.

Claudia’s hair stood upright, made a great Albert Einstein impression in red, as the energy in the room crackled. Myka moved over to her in the blink of an eye. She put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her, feeling a jolt of static shock her as well.

“A touch quicker,” Helena suggested, looking up. “We don’t want it to stop.”

Magnus’s hand was digging into Helena’s upper arm, but Helena took it without flinching, she kept squinting upwards.

“Good, Claudia, excellent.”

Claudia was breathing fast, but she kept her concentration, constantly changing the parameters.

“This is madness!”

Myka looked around to see the other guy, Will, stand against a wall, a safe distance away from the wolf that was Henry and the Big Guy, who was still sitting on him, now petting his head as if he was a wilful puppy.

“It’s working,” Claudia breathed in disbelief, bringing Myka’s attention back to her. Myka followed her gaze and… the crackling actually seemed to form into something concentrated beneath the ceiling. Helena had build something she called her own version of a Faraday cage, trapping energy instead of diverting it.

The blue crackling energy was about the size of an average person, slowly Myka thought she could see the shape of a body, legs, arms, a head, hair… She blinked and a blond woman fell out.

“Ashley!”

Magnus kneeled down next to her daughter as Helena came over to Claudia, her eyes taking in the monitors.

“Is she completely out?”

Claudia nodded.

“I think I need to disable the shield now, but that…”

Helena gave her a nod.

“We know.”

Myka threw a look at Magnus who was cradling her daughter’s head on her lap. The daughter in question was still unconscious.

Or dead.

Hoping they hadn’t brought out a corpse, hoping they weren’t creating one, Myka squeezed Claudia’s shoulder as she finished the last step.

The last of the energy dissipated.

In the eerie silence all of them heard the woman on the ground release a long breath.

“Ashley, darling?”

Magnus sounded… full of wonder and desperation and Myka found herself reaching out, clasping Helena’s hand behind Claudia’s back before she could think about it. Helena squeezed so hard it hurt but Myka was glad. At least she accepted the feeling.

Claudia leaned back on the chair, seemingly satisfied.

“She’s completely out, disconnected from the energy.”

Claudia moved a free hand to her shoulder, where Helena’s other hand was placed. Up until now Myka hadn’t noticed how Helena had mirrored her position behind Claudia.

“Alright, then.”

Helena breathed. After another squeeze she walked over to mother and daughter.

“How is she?”

Magnus looked up, blinking away tears.

“So far, good.”

She sounded like she didn’t believe herself, kept her fingers at Ashley’s pulse on her hand, snapped her fingers in front of her face, observing her every reaction.

“Mom,” the woman, Ashley, sounded hoarse, “let me breathe for a sec, ‘kay?”

Magnus laughed, it was wet and ugly, and she didn’t let Ashley breathe, she pulled her up and into a hug.

Ashley let her head fall against Magnus’s shoulder, before making the effort to look around. It took her a while to find a familiar face and she addressed Will.

“The Cabale?”

“Gone.”

Ashley nodded slowly.

“The guy I took with me?”

“Found him in the wall.”

Ashley shuddered and grimaced.

“How?”

She leaned back out of the embrace, looking around without finding who she was looking for.

“Henry? How did you all get me out?”

Magnus still held her, hands at her shoulders.

“With a little help from a friend.”

Ashley frowned, but Magnus simply laughed.

“Meet Helena and two brilliant Warehouse Agents, Claudia and Myka.”

Ashley looked at them, nodded.

“I guess thanks are in order?”

She sounded so matter of fact that Magnus wasn’t the only one who laughed.

Will came finally closer and gave her a hand up.

“Let’s see if you can stand.”

Ashley nodded, took his hand. Myka wasn’t sure but she thought Ashley moved a little too fast, a little too seamlessly.

The way the woman looked at her hands, opening and closing them slowly, before looking around, caught, cemented her fears.

“So, do I get locked up now?”

Magnus laughed shakily, while Will moved his head from side to side until he nodded once.

“We should probably reconfigure the EM shield to contain you.”

Her shoulders slumped.

“Good idea.”

A flash of betrayal crossed Magnus’s face before she nodded.

“It’s the sensible thing.”

Will nodded like a broken doll, a continuous up and down motion.

“It’s the smart move. But I also think we should get a psychologist soon, to work with her, after you’ve given her a clean bill of health physically.”

“Not you,” Ashley glared at him. Will gave a dry laugh. “Definitely not.”

It seemed to reassure her.

“Okay.”

She opened and closed her hands again.

Myka wasn’t sure but she thought she could see energy crackling, fingers elongating.

“Ashley.”

“Sorry, Mom, it’s…” Ashley swallowed. She changed her train of thoughts.

“How’s London?”

“Total destruction,” Henry answered, limping towards them, buttoning his shirt up, glaring at the Big Guy. “Did you have to sit on my hip?”

The Big Guy simply held up his arms. What else was he supposed to do?

Myka silently agreed with him.

Only then did she notice Ashley starting to tremble. Magnus took her into her arms again, holding her tight.

“It’s okay, Darling.”

“It’s so far away from okay, Mom, it’s not even funny.”

Then she whirled around.

“Where’s Dad?”

Magnus flinched, but caught herself quickly.

“Killing the people who are actually responsible for London.”

Ashley swallowed again, eyes growing wide, growing dark.

“Okay, guys, I think I’ll take you to the library, until they can really thank you,” Will moved in front of them, directing them out of the room, deliberately distracting them from the fact that there was so much more going on then Magnus told them.

### 

The library was massive. While Claudia immediately let herself fall into one of the comfortable looking couches and Helena sat down across from her gingerly, Myka just stood there, taking it in. She made her way around the room in a wide circle, looking at the shelves.  
  
Most of the books were scientific. There were lexica on vampires, huge books on werewolves and books with names Myka had never even heard about.  
  
She was stunned and amazed, even before she found the section with first editions of world literature and literature she didn’t know at all.  
  
When Will came into the room, she was still wandering, but the smell of coffee and tea and pastries put an end to that.  
  
Claudia sat up with a moan.  
  
“Coffee.”  
  
Myka made her way over to Helena’s couch.  
  
After getting food and drinks, Helena’s shoulder was touching Myka’s, their knees were bumping together when they moved. There was much more space on the couch available, but Helena leaned into the touch and Myka was ready to give her any comfort she could (ready to take any connection she could get).  
  
That was how Ashley found them. She was dressed in Jeans and a dark shirt, had obviously showered and just seemed overall less shaky as she poured herself a coffee and situated herself next to Claudia. She focused on Helena then.  
  
“So, you’re Helena.”  
  
It wasn’t a question, but Helena nodded anyway, even while narrowing her eyes.  
  
Ashley made a humming noise in the back of her throat.  
  
“Would you like to stay a couple of days? Until the weekend?”  
  
Helena frowned and opened her mouth, but Ashley held up a hand.  
  
“No, wait. Let me say something," and she hurried on:  
  
"The last couple of weeks have been hell. I found out stuff about myself and my,” she frowned but shrugged, “parents that I’d rather not know. I almost died, which would have sucked.”  
  
Ashley shook her head, clearly either dangerously callous about losing her life or deep in denial. She smiled wistfully after her pause, mind somewhere else entirely.  
  
“You know, my mom got pregnant with me over a century ago? And massive freak that she is, she found a way to freeze the embryo. She made the decision to have me 25 years ago, almost to the day.”  
  
Helena rubbed a hand over her trousers, but didn’t look away from Ashley.  
  
“That day is on Saturday. It’s a day we always celebrate. We usually do something crazy, something a kid would like. When I was little, we went to the zoo, or a theme park, then museums that I enjoyed as well. I love this day, always loved it because it is one of the rare occasions that I get to have my mom without distractions. A day to be silly.”  
  
Ashley took a sip of her coffee, clearly readying herself for something.  
  
“And I get it if you don’t want to hang around this time. I have no idea what happened to you and how you’re dealing with that. But if you want to I’d like for you to join us next year?”  
  
There was a vulnerability in Ashley’s eyes that Myka was quite sure wasn’t seen often.  
  
Helena had moved her hand to Myka’s during the speech and was grabbing it hard. Especially as Ashley looked away and swallowed before she shrugged.l, as if deciding to go all in.  
  
“You know, in another world, a better world, where my father isn’t a crazy serial killer and Paris didn’t have so many problems with crime, I’d have grown up to be something of your niece. And Christina might have been, I don’t know, like my best friend or something, if my Mom is right in that,” she cleared her throat. “I think I’d like to get to know you, at least.”  
  
There was a long pause. They had all heard what she wasn’t saying. That Helena was around to get to know, while Christina wasn’t.  
  
Myka was getting ready to explain that they had left quickly and needed to get back home, when Helena finally opened her mouth.  
  
“I’d like that. Getting to know you would be a privilege. I’m not quite ready to join you this weekend, but I’d like to come for a visit next month, maybe a normal visit where we don’t have to save anyone’s life.”  
  
Ashley rolled her eyes good naturedly, before saying:  
  
“I can never promise that here.”  
  
“I gather that.”  
  
Helena smiled back.  
  
“But nevertheless, next year I would love to join you.”  
  
Just then Magnus came into the room.  
  
“Ashley! You should be resting.”  
  
The ensuing eye-roll was less good-natured.  
  
“Mom, after everything I think I can decide when to rest and not to rest, especially as I was being polite for once. And not wasting time.”  
  
Magnus looked at them for confirmation. Helena nodded.  
  
“She was telling me about how Christina was still being remembered.”  
  
Magnus face didn’t change, but Myka was trained to notice the slight stiffening in her shoulders.  
  
“It was good to hear,” Helena reassured her as if she saw it herself, which she probably did, after all, she knew Magnus, and Magnus relaxed.  
  
The ensuing conversation was friendly, less tense, and as everyone was pretty tired, physically and mentally, they soon left with the promise of meeting again.

### 

The ride home was more or less silent. Myka was almost sure Helena’s silence derived from thoughtfulness more than anything else. Claudia’s from fatigue.

Myka had yet to see Claudia sleep on a plane, which was a skill she would have to learn on the job. Her head drooped perilously close to her tablet every now and then, like a puppy that was refusing to go to sleep. Helena pulled the armrest up halfway through the plane ride, put her head on Myka’s shoulder and slept.

Just like that.

When she seemed less overwhelmed back home Myka would have a talk with her. There would be no more of the polite nonsense, she finally resolved.

Artie’s greeting was gruff as ever, he barely acknowledged Helena, which didn’t seem to surprise anyone. They all left for showers and Myka was the first one back down in the kitchen. Where she stared at Artie.  
  
Who ignored her, going about the business of making himself a plate of different cookies, until her glare annoyed him too much.  
  
“What?”  
  
She had stayed silent for the last weeks, watched him be abrasive and unfriendly and thought that this was Helena’s fight.  
  
But Helena was just taking the abuse and Myka was fed up with it.  
  
“Could you stop?”  
  
“Stop what?”  
  
He knew exactly what she was talking about, going by how his eyebrows moved when his gaze went upstairs and he refused to meet Myka’s eyes.  
  
“I know you’re not the nicest person, Artie, but you’re letting all your anger out on Helena and it’s not fair.”  
  
He surprised her by huffing, putting his hands on his hips.  
  
“Not fair? You are telling me to be nicer to her? You?”  
  
“Yes!” she burst out. “I don’t know what your problem is and I don’t care. Get a grip on it!”  
  
As a matter of fact just after the Emily Lake debacle Artie had changed how he talked about Helena, had trusted her. This mistreatment didn’t even have a reason.  
  
“Get a grip on it,” he repeated between clenched teeth, before climbing into one of the bar stools, not without difficulty, leaning on the table with his elbows.  
  
“Do you remember the Neanderthal artifact?”  
  
Myka flinched and Artie nodded.  
  
“Exactly.”  
  
He took off his glasses to rub his nose, not meeting her gaze.  
  
“You didn’t sleep for weeks after that, were barely eating.”  
  
He shrugged as if that was explanation enough. And it was. It was more than enough.  
  
All her anger dissipated at once, making her feel strangely empty. She had to sit down across from him, opened her mouth but had to clear her throat before she could speak.  
  
“Technically, shouldn’t that be my anger?”  
  
Artie just glared at her. It was a mild glare, nothing in comparison to what Helena received on a daily basis, but a glare.  
  
“Are you angry?”  
  
The question sounded like another accusation. Myka met his gaze.  
  
“I’m dealing. As she is. And you should.”  
  
Myka rubbed her neck and sighed.  
  
“Artie, you’re making her uncomfortable. The Warehouse is where she belongs and you’re making her feel unwelcome.”  
  
“She stayed somewhere else for a long time, it’s not exactly her home.”  
  
“No,” Myka shook her head. “It’s not. It’s your home and mine and Pete’s. For Claudia and Helena? This is where they belong.”  
  
She was aware that one could argue about Pete, but she was firm on the rest.  
  
Artie blinked, not quite following, before some kind of revelation dawned on his face and he nodded.  
  
“Alright, but I’m not forgiving her.”  
  
He refused to meet Myka’s gaze, looking past her shoulder instead, as if looking into her eyes would change this decision. Myka allowed herself to roll her eyes.  
  
“Okay. Just be angry for yourself, not for me. And don’t make her feel like the villain in your story.”  
  
“Yes, good. I’ll try.”  
  
Despite his gruff tone she believed him. He got up and left.  
  
“You know, you shouldn’t fight my battles.”  
  
Myka whirled around to see Helena leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen.  
  
“How much did you hear?”  
  
“Enough for Artie to give me an evil smile when he saw me.”  
  
Myka looked at her, but Helena’s face was unreadable.  
  
So Myka made a quick revision of her talk to Artie until she came to the conclusion that she hadn’t said anything she didn’t mean.  
  
“Would you like to sit?”  
  
“I came down for a tea, actually,” Helena answered and finally moved into the room, starting her usual tea routine, while Myka poured herself some water and waited.  
  
“I’m sorry if I made it sound like you had no choice but the Warehouse,” she offered when Helena didn’t turn around. Helena sighed.  
  
“You weren’t exactly wrong. It’s just not a particularly good feeling.”  
  
Myka shrugged.  
  
“You’ll heal and then you can decide if you want to belong here.”  
  
Helena gave a wry smile.  
  
“I’m not sure it works that way, darling.”  
  
Myka smiled. She couldn’t help herself. The moniker hadn’t slipped out of Helena’s mouth for weeks. Not after it had made Myka jump during that first week.  
  
Helena frowned at her smile.  
  
“What?”  
  
Myka forced herself to stop beaming and just shook her head.  
  
“Life works however you want it to work, Helena.”  
  
Finally Helena came to sit down. Contrary to Artie she didn’t sit across from Myka, but took the stool next to her.  
  
“Now you sound like Abigail.”  
  
Myka made a face.  
  
“Sorry.”  
  
“No,” Helena shook her head. “I’m sorry, for the pain I put you through.”  
  
And there was pain. A lot of it. Both times. But the last time? Helena shouldn’t include that unless she knew exactly, how…  
  
“You shouldn’t be sorry. You said you did what you needed.”  
  
“I said I did all that I could. Artie might refuse to believe it, but my limits aren’t usually reached in a desperate attempt at worldwide destruction.”  
  
Myka just stared. It made Helena fuss with her tea.  
  
“Sometimes I apparently make entirely inappropriate jokes to lighten the mood, even though self-deprecation, no matter how funny, is also, mostly, a defense mechanism.”  
  
Myka kept staring at her. That had to be the most convoluted sentence she’d ever heard Helena utter. Helena shrugged. She looked so helpless, so lost, that Myka didn’t think. She just reached out and put her hand on top of Helena’s.  
  
Helena turned her hand around and looked at Myka in wonder.  
  
“How could you even consider forgiving me?”  
  
Myka let out a deep breath.  
  
“Honestly, I don’t entirely know that myself. It took a lot of time and some soul-searching, but I had forgiven you before I met Emily Lake.”  
  
She watched a muscle move on Helena’s throat as she swallowed.  
  
“I was talking about everything, about staying with Nate instead of coming back when I first had the chance.”  
  
Myka had to take a breath. She hoped, stupidly, that Helena might not notice, but that was the downside of having a relationship, any kind of relationship, with someone that observant and intelligent.  
  
So she fought hard to move her mouth into a real smile. It felt thin and shaky, but she managed. She also fought the urge to take her hand back, regretting that Helena certainly noticed the twitch. But she won the fight against her tears, not letting them show at least.  
  
“I wanted you to be happy.”  
  
Even if it wasn’t with her, even if it was with someone else, somewhere else, even if…  
  
“I wasn’t and you knew it.”  
  
Myka barked out a wet laugh before she could control herself. This was not… She swallowed and took a deep breath, barely regaining control. Helena squeezed her hand, before letting her shoulder meet Myka’s. She breathed in deeply, as if readying herself for something difficult. Myka felt her body tense in preparation.  
  
“I have never been more content than right now, right here.”  
  
Myka took in a sharp breath. Helena wasn’t saying... She couldn’t. Not after.  
  
Not when Myka had convinced herself that Helena would be letting her down easily. Not after weeks of avoidance made her certain that...  
  
It was Helena who pulled her hand away and sat back.  
  
“I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable. There are many ways to read a situation and…”  
  
Myka followed her, leaning into Helena’s space and kissed her.  
  
Her heart jumped into her throat when Helena froze.  
  
But then Helena put a hand to Myka’s face, a thumb caressing her cheek and Helena kissed back. It was so much softer than Myka might have expected, still hesitant, a gentle question of whether this was okay when it was actually Myka who started this.  
  
Myka could get lost in this soft exploration, how Helena’s smell completely surrounded her. As a matter of fact, she did get lost a little bit.  
  
Without thinking she leaned in closer. She reached out blindly, her hand landing on Helena’s thigh as Myka stumbled out of her chair in her need to be closer. Helena chuckled into their unbroken series of open mouthed kisses, and pulled her in. It took Myka a moment to realize that she was now standing between Helena’s legs, one hand on a soft thigh, one on the counter for balance. She let go of the counter to feel more of Helena, placed her hand on the back of Helena’s neck, noticing that yes, her hair was silky soft and Myka sighed contentedly before Helena’s lips left her mouth to place open mouthed kisses on her neck and Myka’s sigh was much closer to a breathy moan.  
  
Again, Helena chuckled, but Myka heard how breathless it was, how high it sounded. Her moan transformed in a soft noise of protest when Helena stopped her kisses to press her nose to Myka’s cheek, her forehead against Myka’s head.  
  
“Darling.”  
  
For the first time there was no undercurrent to the moniker, it sounded like a caress itself, true to its first denotation like Myka herself was darling to Helena.  
  
Myka felt the pull in her cheeks as her smile grew bigger than she ever remembered. She put her arms around Helena and pulled her into a hug, never losing the contact of Helena’s forehead on her hair, breathing her in.  
  
It felt like home.  
  
“Maybe,”said Helena after while, softly, “you could teach me the American ways of courting?”  
  
Myka chuckled at the deliberate attempt to diffuse some tension, to prevent any arising awkwardness. She leaned back, letting her hands fall to Helena’s lower back and gave Helena a smile, before taking a step back, letting her hands fall away, only to offer one to Helena. There was no awkwardness between them at all.  
  
“I think our relationship surpasses any traditional ways of courting or dating, don’t you think?”  
  
Helena put her hand in Myka’s, allowed herself to be pulled out of her chair.  
  
As Myka let the way, she felt her confidence waver. Maybe, despite all the waiting, this was too much, too soon.  
  
Despite that, she opened the door to her room, leading a still smiling Helena in.  
  
“Forward” was all Helena said with a smirk. Myka rubbed her neck.  
  
“I just… we don’t have to,” she searched for the right words, looking at Helena’s feet, “do more than we just did, I just…”  
  
Helena interrupted her by stepping as close as she could without actually touching her.  
  
“I feel the need for connection as well, no matter what shape it will take.”  
  
Without letting go of her hand, Helena turned away to turn the key in the door, the locking mechanism sounding final.  
  
“No matter what, I would appreciate the privacy.”  
  
Her smirk grew mischievous and Myka laughed, before pulling her back in, continuing their exploration of soft kissing and roaming hands.  
  
Before long it grew less soft and more urgent as they made their way to the bed.  
  
They had time, but as they had already wasted so much of it, talking could wait for tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for making it to the END!
> 
> I haven't been publishing anything anywhere in years, but coming out of depression and getting back to my very favorite coping mechanism was a joy.
> 
> And I thought, if I enjoyed writing it that much, maybe you'd enjoy reading. If you did, please let me know!  
> I love good thoughts and extra kudos as any writer does!  
> But also don't be too shy to tell me when my punctuation sucks, whether my grammer has taken a break somewhere or if my thesaurus has deceived me and my (admittedly not that limited but incomplete) knowledge of the English language.


End file.
